Times Have Changed: An Avengers Oneshot
by SJ Sykes
Summary: Tony and Steve have never been ashamed of their relationship. They were proud and loved and supportive of each other until the very end. Now intended to be married, the two men could not have a care in the world. Until a reporter asks a question that threatens to destroy the love they're fought so hard to keep.


Tony Stark was cocky, arrogant, and self-obsessed. He always made it his business to one up the other guy and make sure that everyone knew that he was the smartest guy in the room. He was a known drinker. He was a partier. He was loud, sarcastic, he didn't respect boundaries, he was a thorn in peoples' sides from the time he was a child, and even more so now as an adult. He was a known womanizer and was famous for his innumerable one night stands with reporters and models, and any other beautiful women he could get his hands on.

Steve Rogers was respectful, sweet, and old fashioned. He was a gentle man who never got in the way of anyone unless he was protecting someone. He was a patriotic American kid from Brooklyn. He was soft spoken, yet had the silent strength of an older man. He used rational and critical thinking to solve his problems. He was passionate. He stayed away from parties. He was America's hero, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s favorite soldier. He was strong, he was brilliant, he knew military tactics like the back of his hand, and he was one of the nicest men anyone could ever meet.

Both men were excellent superheroes. They saved the world with their little group of friends time and time again, and were often seen as the world's saving graces.

No one would have ever suspected that they were both gay.

Even more so, no one would have ever expected that they would come out together as an engaged couple.

When the wedding announcements came out, the world exploded. Captain American and Iron Man engaged to be married, and no one ever suspected a goddamn thing. Their friends loved the idea, even though they all knew from the beginning that they were meant to be a couple. No one dared say a thing about them. No one dares mess with the relationship between partners. Whether they be business partners, best friends, or romantically involved with one another, no one dares mess with the bond.

"Mr. Stark, why the constant years of womanizing? Was it a cover up?" A journalist asked. The two men were at a press conference about their upcoming wedding. The entire world had been shocked when the eccentric billionaire came out as homosexual and now they were begging to get answers.

Tony smirked at the cameras and curled his fingers around Steve's hand under the table. "Nah, it was just fun. Everyone needs a little fun in their life." He replied, squeezing his fiancé's hand.

"When did you figure out that you were gay?"

"When I figured out how to walk."

Steve Rogers couldn't help but snicker, considering how much he loved Tony's snarky, sarcastic comments. They used to drive the soldier mad, but he soon came to realize that if it weren't for those occasional blood boiling comments, he wouldn't be Tony. "So, last week?" He teased.

The billionaire sent him a playful glare. "Watch yourself soldier."

"Mr. Stark, when did your relationship begin?" Another journalist inquired.

Tony glanced back at Steve briefly. "Soon after we met. After the incident in Manhattan, we stayed in touch, and he sort of became a lab assistant for me, you know, carrying things, being a jack when I worked on my cars... Things like that. He was around quite a bit, we started doing the dinner thing the movie thing, I tried to be charming, considering none of my usually pick-up tactics _ever_ worked on him-"

"You think I would let you get to me that easily?" Steve joked.

"Of course not, babe, you're too smart for that." Tony replied, smiling as he made his fiancé blush. He loved when he could make him blush. "But you're not one of my usual playmates are you?"

"Tony..." The soldier blushed.

One of the other journalists cleared his throat. "Captain Rogers, when did you decide that you were in love with Tony Stark?" He asked.

His blush intensified for a moment, and he squeezed Tony's hand for a support. "I didn't decide. You don't decide who you fall in love with, you just wake up one morning and you realize that you wouldn't be complete without them at your side. You wake up in the middle of the night and wish that they were lying next to you, and it's almost like you can feel it when they're unhappy or in danger, and suddenly you're a predator ready to kill for that person. I didn't decide that I loved him, I just... Loved him." By the end of the sentence, he was gazing over at the billionaire that he loved so much with tears brimming in his eyes. Sure Tony was an asshole at times, but Steve brought out the best in him. He was proud of the man he was going to marry.

Tony looked away as to not tear up. "My _intended_ is a bit poetic." He teased.

"Shut up." The Captain laughed.

"Captain Rogers, if I may ask a question." An older woman in a cheap burgundy colored suit called up from the back, breaking the moment for the couple.

Steve gave her a charming smile. "Of course." He replied.

"How do you think your country would have reacted to this back in your time?" She asked.

"I don't quite understand the question."

The woman pursed her lips. "How do you think the world would have reacted back in your time if their American hero came out as a homosexual? Wasn't it illegal to be a homosexual back then?" She demanded.

Steve began to feel uncomfortable. Sweat began to bead under the collar of his jacket, and his heart began to pound. "I uh..."

"Do you need me to repeat the question?" She urged, the rude tone in her voice making Tony stiffen.

The soldier shook his head. "No, ma'am. I understand."

"Do you feel like they would be angered by the fact that their hero has been engaging in illegal activities with another man? Do you think they would be disappointed in you? Do you-"

At that moment, Tony got to his feet in an instant, eyes flashing, nostrils flaring, ready to jump across the table and strangle the woman for attacking his fiancé. He quickly cleared his throat. "This conference is over." He growled, his dark eyes boring holes into her forehead. Finally, he turned to Steve and held out his hand, pulling the soldier to his feet. "We're going home."

They pushed past the cameras and reporters blocking their way to the car that sat out front. Tony held the door for Steve to climb in the passenger side, then quickly climbed in the driver's seat. The soldier could tell by the way his fiancé was walking that he was angry. The way he stomped around the car, and the way his jaw was locked as he turned his back to the people, something he rarely did. Tony threw the door open and climbed inside, quickly turning the fancy sports car on and tearing off, far away from the press.

After a few minutes of pure, uncomfortable silence, Tony let out a deep, heavy sigh and glanced over at the man beside him who was staring out the window intensely. He had a flat expression, stone cold, not showing any emotion, but the billionaire knew something was wrong. "You're having second thoughts." He noted.

Steve looked over at his fiancé, appalled by his words. "No, I'm not." He replied.

"Yes, you are. I can see it."

The soldier took a deep breath, gazing back out the window. "It's not about us. I'm just over thinking what that woman said." He explained gently. "She's right. Back in my time, it was illegal to be gay. They would throw a man in prison or start him on hormone injections for being gay. I was the face of the military. They looked up to me. If people back then were to know that I was marrying a man, they would lose faith in their army. I would have disappointed every single one of them. I know that it's different now, it just... Eats at me." His voice trailed off sadly, and he tried to keep his eyes on the road.

Tony sighed. "Steve, you don't have to be ashamed to be a little old fashioned. I get it. You were the American hero in a time where if you weren't homophobic, you gay, and if you were gay you were a traitor. But, this isn't the forties anymore, this is the two thousands." He said.

"Yes, but, what if the ideal American hero is what they still want?"

"Steve, wasn't it the point of the American hero to fight for freedom?" Tony asked softly. "What's more American than fighting for what you love?"

"But what if they don't..."

"If they can't take their American hero doing his job than they're not very American, are they?"

As the comment sunk in, a smile formed at the corners of Steve's mouth. He knew he loved Tony for a reason. "No, I guess not." He answered.

Tony smirked proudly, reaching out and taking his fiancé's hand. "Times have changed, Steve. Those ideals you were drowned in before can't touch you here." He told him encouragingly. "You're still an American hero, that hasn't changed, but now you stand for something more than just the war."

Steve felt as his fiancé's fingers intertwined as his and the heat rushed to his face. He smiled at the tress that passed by the window in a blur. Oh, what a time it was to be in love.


End file.
